OVERVIEW: Jake's father disappears while working on
mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is
convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound
Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror,
which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting
to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah
- a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says,
Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century.
There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of
elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and
filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the
mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really
happened to his father.

FORMAT: Obsidian Mirror is the first novel in a proposed YA
trilogy. It does not really fit into any one category. It has a combination of
sci-fi, fey characters, mystery, adventure, and historical feel. There is also
reference to people traveling from the future and special magical powers. It
stands at 384 pages and was published in the US on April 23, 2013 by Dial.

ANALYSIS: Every so often a fantasy/sci-fi book comes along
that just sweeps you off your feet and you honestly don't know why. Obsidian
Mirror is one of those books, at least for me, for the year. And it should come
as no surprise considering who the author of this book is – Catherine Fisher.

Catherine Fisher has made a name for herself throughout the
fantasy/sci-fi community for creating detailed, highly original novels and
Obsidian Mirror is no exception.

Obsidian Mirror has a little bit of everything. There are
the fey creatures, wonderful historic London, time traveling, love, greed,
mystery, action, and adventure. Think of it almost as a combination of a time
traveling novel/sci-fi/fantasy novel, but its set in the modern world.

I was unsure how I liked this combination of genres and
elements. I was undecided at first, but by the end of the novel I was loving
it. It really just came together and worked. I think for some authors this
combination of elements and genres could have been disastrous and appeared
forced, but Fisher has made it work and turned out an amazing novel which will
hopefully be the start of a great YA series.

Readers just venturing into Obsidian Mirror might get
slightly confused at first. In classic Fisher style there is a lot going on,
but readers are not given any real backstory or explanation of what is going on.
Readers are forced to go with the flow and learn as they read. Everything is
nicely put together and explained eventually, but it can be a tiny bit
confusing at first.

Very similar to other novels that Fisher has penned, the
characters in Obsidian Mirror are a bit of a mystery to readers. They are
extremely detailed and react honestly to situations with intense emotions, but
they this mysterious vibe to them. Readers throughout the novel will slowly
start to get to know the characters, what makes them tick, what their motives
are, and what role they may or may not play in this entire novel.

The mysterious element, just like the slow unraveling of the
plot/back story, can be slightly frustrating, but Fisher works her magic and
really pulls it all together. The pacing of the novel, eloquent writing style,
and unique feel of the novel really makes this novel stand out from the rest.

This novel is a part of a trilogy and does end with a
cliffhanger. The main plot elements are temporarily resolved, but there are
dozens of unresolved plot elements that leaves readers wanting and craving
more. Unfortunately, they have to wait for the next installment.

Overall, Obsidian Mirror is another wonderful addition to
the YA sci-fi/fantasy world. It is definitely a top novel for 2013 and I have
high hopes for the series. I hope Fisher has learned from the Incarceron
series, where it started out with a bang and fizzled out to a disappointing
end.

If you are looking for something new, unique and fun, yet
not too overly complicated, a fan of Fisher's previous workers, or like
adventure, sci-fi, and time travel, this is definitely a novel for you to try.
The pacing is quick, the characters detailed, and the plot is one is not filled
with the same old, same old.